


Falling into place

by velocitygrass



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Episode: s04e16 Trio, M/M, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-02-09
Updated: 2008-02-09
Packaged: 2018-01-24 01:02:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1585922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/velocitygrass/pseuds/velocitygrass
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tag to Trio, taking place directly after the episode: Jennifer has a realization during her "date" with Rodney.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Falling into place

**Author's Note:**

> Also minor McKay/Keller and Dex/Keller

Jennifer watched Rodney carefully balancing the bottle to fill his glass and couldn't help smiling.

He really was cute. And interested in her in his own awkward way. She didn't consider herself a dating expert, but Rodney was completely helpless. Which in itself was pretty cute.

She didn't know if this would go anywhere, and she still hoped that the thing with Ronon might become an actual _thing_ , but so far he'd made himself scarce after the quarantine, which either meant he had some thinking to do or that he wasn't really interested after all.

Unlike Rodney, who'd definitely looked interested—if surprised—when she'd nearly taken off her sweater.

"This whole beer thing isn't really working out with these," Rodney said, glaring at his hands in frustration.

"It's not about the _beer_ , Rodney."

"Right. Of course."

She smiled again. She had no idea how Rodney had managed to ever date. Although she figured that other women might find it as endearing as she did.

"I'm really not very good at this."

"Yah. Between talking about our perfect bodies and not noticing breaking up with Katie, I kinda noticed."

The corners of his mouth turned downward.

"Hey, that's okay. You saved my life. And you picked Jon Stewart. Good choice."

He huffed predictably. "That whole game was unfair. I mean, how would you feel if I said...Teyla or Sam?"

"Come on."

"See!" He pointed at her. "Aren't you secure enough in your femininity..." He trailed off, probably realizing how stupid he sounded.

She decided to rescue him. "It's not that. But we know them in person so it's... But since you asked: Sam."

Rodney eyes glazed over, and she had to laugh.

"So, if we're playing like that," she added, "how about...Ronon or Sheppard?"

Any thoughts about her and Sam making out were wiped from Rodney's face.

"Not Ronon," he said emphatically. "I could never imagine kissing him."

She thought back to the almost kiss in the infirmary, but pushed the thought away since she _was_ on a date with Rodney. Instead she teasingly asked, "But you _can_ imagine making out with Sheppard?"

His brow furrowed in a mixture between confusion and irritation. "I..." He looked at the table, and his frown disappeared. There was suddenly something on his face that she couldn't quite figure out, when he suddenly snapped his face back up and said, "That's hardly the topic for a date, is it? I mean if there's going to be making out, it would be..." He gestured between them and flushed.

She smiled, but still there was something in the back of her mind that she couldn't quite shake—until she tried to imagine making out with Rodney. And yes, that would work quite nicely.

They were interrupted by Sheppard approaching them, still mostly geared up. "Are you all right?" he asked Rodney, then looked at her to include her in the statement.

She quickly nodded.

"What happened? They said you were nearly killed." He was talking to Rodney, and she recognized the something-happened-to-one-of-my-team worry.

"We _fell_ into the Genii mining facility. And then _it_ fell into a giant hole. Luckily we weren't in there anymore. Although a minute later and you could have scraped me off the ground with tweezers."

She could see the horror on Sheppard's face. "We're okay," she said to reassure him. "Sam's got a broken leg, but it'll heal, and we just have a few scrapes."

"Scrapes," Rodney said unhappily and lifted up his hands to show off the bandages.

Sheppard hissed in sympathy.

"He saved my life," she said with a fond smile.

Sheppard's eyes widened, then he smiled too, and Jennifer could clearly see the pride in his eyes. "I see you did good, Rodney."

"Yes, well...all in a day's work."

Apparently Rodney wasn't just awkward around women. If she found him any cuter, she'd start petting his head and scratching him behind the ear. She wondered if he'd like that.

"So, can you eat with those? I can organize something for you or maybe feed you with powerbars." Sheppard was smiling at Rodney indulgently and something in her shifted.

"Oh yes, that would be— Actually, maybe later. I'm just..." He looked towards her.

"I won a bet and he's...having a drink with me."

Sheppard frowned in confusion, looking at her, then at Rodney, then back at her. Then suddenly his face shut down completely.

"I see. I won't disturb you any longer then." He stiffly nodded at her, and she didn't know what to say, because it wasn't that she didn't know that look. This was how he got when he was all business, but in a private setting she'd never seen him like this, especially not when he was in Rodney's presence. When he was with Rodney he was just...

Sheppard left, and she turned to Rodney who was looking after him. She couldn't read his expression, but when he turned back to her, she could see for one moment that he'd rather go with Sheppard than sit here with her.

She didn't really mind she realized. Of course it wasn't exactly flattering, but what she felt for Rodney wasn't even a crush at this point, just the potential for something, which turned out to be nothing.

Suddenly she remembered Rodney's reaction to the making out question. She'd be willing to bet that he'd never thought about it before today. But now he had. And putting that into the context with Sheppard's look a minute ago when he'd found out that this was a date...

Oh, wow.

This was a bit like finding out there were Stargates: overwhelming, awesome, and just a bit scary.

Rodney frowned at her.

"Sorry, I just realized that I've promised to check something for Dr. Biro."

"Now?"

She didn't really know what to say. 'Rodney, you don't want to date _me_ ' probably wouldn't go over very well. "Why don't you go and let Colonel Sheppard help you with eating?" she asked softly.

"Oh right, I could do that. So we'll do this another time?" he asked hopefully.

She sighed inwardly. He really didn't get it. "Sure," she said.

He smiled at her and left to find Sheppard.

She looked after him and started to think about how she could gently nudge Rodney in the right direction and let Sheppard know that waiting for Rodney to make the first step was not going to work.

It wasn't going to be easy. But imagining them together, she knew it would be worth it. And if she could make Rodney date successfully, then maybe she'd hunt down Ronon and see what had gone wrong there.


End file.
